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LANETT — Located in Lanett’s Jackson Heights neighborhood, Ebenezer Baptist Church on Monday played host to a 10 a.m. EST Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration. Despite sub-freezing temperatures, a packed house was on hand to take part in singing, prayer, listening to devotionals and poetry reading, taking in a performance by a youth praise team and remarks by speaker of the day Rev. Dr. Melvin Owens.

The Lambda Zeta Omega chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha hosts this event every year. There was a strong contingent of the pink and green ladies on hand. They just about filled up an entire section of the church.

The program began with the congregation singing James Weldon Johnson’s “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” which has often been called that Black National Anthem. AKA member Gretchen Holloway read from the 13th chapter of First Corinthians in which the Apostle Paul famously wrote about doing childish things when young but putting them away and behaving like an adult when he became a man. The chapter reads that hope, faith and charity are all important values with charity being most important.

Ebenezer pastor Rev. Dr. Jesse Walker II said the opening prayer and AKA member Nancy Gibson welcomed the large crowd on hand. “I welcome you one behalf to our chapter president, Kimberly Marshall,” she said. “It is with great joy that we celebrate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and what he fought for. We celebrate and remember the dream today.”

The gathering really got into a musical selection brought by the Myron Fears Ensemble. As they performed “Lord, You Have Brought Me a Mighty Long Way,” the crowd clapped with the rhythm of the song while making such expressions as “Praise God!” and “You tell it, sisters!”

Rev. Dr. Owens was introduced as someone who had walked through the door Dr. King had opened for Black children in the South in the 1960s. He grew up in LaFayette and was one of the first African-American students to attend Eastside Elementary School in 1966. “There were days when he had to throw punches,” said Mrs. Deborah Owens, “but God still saw good in him. Hate cannot drive out evil. Only love can.”

Rev. Dr. Owens is the pastor of Mount Zion Baptist Church in LaFayette. He is also president of the Alabama State Missionary Baptist Convention and vice president of the National Baptist Convention USA. At one point in his career, Owens was one of the most recognizable security officers in Alabama. He was caught on camera many times escorting Auburn football coaches to and from the sideline.

To get everyone in a good mood, he started with a joke. “Will everyone stand up for me?” he said. “Take one step to your right.”

Everyone followed that instruction.

“Take a step back to where you were and sit down,” he said. “No one can say now that I didn’t move you today.”

That brought the house down.

Owens said our current time is similar to what Charles Dickens wrote about in the famed opening paragraph in “A Tale of Two Cities.”

“It’s the best of times and the worst of times,” he said. “Will we follow chaos or diversity? We should choose a path of unity and community. The prophetic voice of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. can still be heard today.”

Owens said that some disdain the path of love for one’s fellow man for love of one’s self, the kind of clothes they wear and the kind of vehicle they have parked in their garage.

“What matters is not what you wear, but what’s inside, what’s in your heart.” he said to much applause.

He noted the irony of MLK Day 2025 falling on the same day Donald Trump will be inaugurated to another term in office.

Trump’s often-repeated theme of “Make America Great Again” may appeal to some people but is not so good for others. What period in the past has nostalgia for African Americans? The 250 years of slavery? The next 100 years of Jim Crow segregation?

“We are all in the same place,” Owens said. “We are all in this together. You must understand the concept of We the People, the concept of One Nation Under God. It matters more who’s in your house than who’s in the White House.”

Owens encouraged the building of bridges rather than putting up barriers. One way to build bridges, he said, is to extend the spirit and enthusiasm for living right and doing right inside a church to the outside world. “There are too many people out there who are hurting, who think no one cares about them and that there’s no way out,” he said. “They are the ones we should be reaching out to.”

Owens said he could remember a time when to be “woke” was a good thing. It simply meant you were awake, alert and aware of what was going on. “We need to stand on the facts and on what is the truth,” he said.

Owens recalled going through some difficult times when he entered in what had been an all-white school in 1966. He credited one of his teachers, Mrs. L.C. Walker, for protecting him and making a big difference in his life. “She allowed me to blossom in what had not been fertile soil,” he said. “I am where I am today because of people like her. You need to remember and appreciate the people who helped you along the way.”

Owens completed his talk by saying that God can keep anyone from falling. “I know because of Jesus and Calvary,” he said. “The devil wanted to take him out and to make this world a very dark place. Jesus died for us on the cross. He wrote a check on Calvary and deposited it in the tomb. Because he lives today and loves us, we are the children of God.”

“Don’t give up!” he exclaimed, “Never give up and don’t get weary!”

As he was finishing, the congregation rose to their feet, shouting “You tell it, pastor!” There was much applause with the pianist and organist adding to the fevered pitch.

The Myron Fears Ensemble followed by singing a lively version of “We thank you, Jesus, and we praise your name.”

The JMA Praise Team then had a skillful presentation and Nykyra Winston read the poem “My Black is Beautiful.”

City officials present offered greetings. Mayor Steve Tramell and council members Sandra Thornton and Dr. Joe Downs were there from West Point; Mayor Jamie Heard and Council Member Tony Malone from Lanett, council members Henry Cooper and Marquetta from Valley and Council Member Toney Thomas from LaFayette thanked the local AKA chapter for putting on the program each year.

“A agree with Rev. Owens that we need to get out of our churches and into the community,” Tramell said.

Mayor Heard read a proclamation from the City of Lanett and Council Member Cooper read one from Valley.

Lambda Zeta Omega chapter President Kimberly Marshall thanked Executive Director Kea Costley and the Chambers County Circle of Care for a very successful coat drive for children in the local area. A total of 62 coats have been collected thus far with more on the way. With the weather as cold as it is right now those coats will be much appreciated by the youngsters who receive them. Their families will be appreciative as well.

“We thank the public for helping us with this,” Costley said.

Narfunda Ross from Team WHIP (Working to Help those In Pink) was recognized for working with the AKA chapter in helping local families with a member undergoing breast cancer treatment. Seven such families were treated to a shopping trip to Kroger.

Chapter Vice President Samantha Poindexter told the congregation that she had grown up in Ebenezer Baptist Church and today lives in the Huntsville area. “I come back here every year to take part in this program,” she said. “I wouldn’t miss if for the world. I believe with my chapter sisters that it takes a village to raise a child,”

“On behalf of the Lambda Zeta Omega chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha I thank all of you most sincerely for getting out on a cold day to be here,” said Chapter President Kimberly Marshall.

Widely known as “the pink and green ladies,” Alpha Kappa Alpha is the oldest sorority for professional women who attended Historic Black Colleges and Universities (HCBUs). Its membership includes former Vice President Kamala Harris.